Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Winner! Winner! Mindy you won a copy of Colleen's book. Please email me at Christie (@) christie-craig (.) com.Today I have a surprise guest blogger, Colleen Thompson, a friend and a heck of a writer.

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Back cover blurb for Touch of Evil: Tight

The noose cuts off all air, leaving its victim struggling hopelessly against death. One by one, the members of a small town zydeco band are being murdered by a macabre killer.

Tight

Sheriff Justine Wofford is boxed in on all sides, investigating a series of gruesome hangings everyone else considers suicide. Hospitalized by a severe blow to the head, unable to remember the details of the attack, under fire from her own department, she reaches out to the man she's sworn to avoid at any cost.

Tight

Their affair was a close-kept secret, their bodies coming together with explosive heat even as she tried to maintain emotional distance. But now Justine can't stay away from Ross. Somehow, he's mixed up in this case and his hold on her is only getting tighter.

And now the interview:

CC: You write some pretty scary stuff, lady. So tell me, what really scares Colleen Thompson? Will a spider cause you to freak out? Or is it a man wearing plaid spandex that sends you over the edge?

CT: I've written about stabbings, stalkers, and deaths by bullet, noose, and asphyxiation with a breast implant (how's that for a warped sense of humor?) but what really scares the snot out of me? Clowns. To the point where I refused to see the new Alice in Wonderland movie because Johnny Depp's makeup reminds me of a clown's.

Also, I'm totally freaked out by The Burger King, who has this whole silent stalker vibe going. That gnome from Travelocity's a little suspect, too.

I read once that clowns, masks, and hairy Santa beards scare children because it prevents them from reading the facial expressions and therefore the intentions of these very strange big people. I am so down with that explanation.

CC: What is your favorite scene of Touch of Evil?

CT: The heroine, Sheriff Justine Wofford, is the widowed mother of an autistic, nine-year-old boy. The scene where you really see her tough chick facade give way to the same vulnerability all parents share, where she risks opening her heart to the hero, ER doctor Ross Bollinger, and trusting him with her scared, hurt child's safety, brings a lump to my throat every time I read it. And who doesn't fall in love with a hero who's good with kids and animals? *Sigh.*

CC: You do know that readers tend to believe that we write from the heart. That our plots and characters are really a glimpse of our personalities. Now I know, this basically means that I'm a nutjob. Unfortunately, most people who know me say this is true. But what does this say about you? Deep down are you a wanna be killer? Considering that I know you and actually spend some time with you, how you answer this question could affect our friendship!

CT: More than a penchant for violence, my books reflect my own fears of the world's violence reaching out and hurting those I love. Suspense fiction, including romantic suspense, gives both the readers and this author a "safe" way to exorcise these worries, with a virtual guarantee that things are going to work out as justice demands. In my world, children and pets come to no lasting harm, good people are eventually rewarded, and nogoodniks come to a very bad (but fitting) end. It's a lot more satisfying than a lot of real-world stories, and it helps me sleep a little better through the night.

And the main reason I'm good at scary is because I'm a real scaredy-cat myself. Case in point: my dog began barking maniacally while I was answering question #1, and I neearly convinced myself the Burger King was standing outside, staring into the window. *Shudder.*

CC: Can you tell us something about Colleen Thompson that no one else knows? Come on, dig deep, give us some juicy detail. My readers here love the juicy details.

CT: You mean giving up my clown/Burger King-phobia wasn't enough? Wow. Some people are so demanding. But since you're a friend, I'll share these fun facts:

Although I set all my romantic suspense in Texas and currently live there, I was born and raised in New Jersey and still harbor traces of an accent. (Though I swear it's not as thick as Christie's 'Bama! Unless you make me really mad. Then I sound like one of the cast of The Sopranos.)

While walking with my husband through home improvement stores, I often stop to exclaim, "Wow! That would make an awesome murder weapon!" Embarrassingly loudly, according to our son.

I have a penchant for adopting and reforming dogs best described as three-time losers from various rescue organizations. Last few culprits have included a drywall-eating greyhound, a jealousy-biter, an escape artist, and a dog that demolished my bathroom after accidentally locking herself inside. In spite of this, I'm still happily married to my firefighter husband of twenty years plus.

CC: Thanks, Colleen for joining us at Killer Fiction today!

CT: Thanks so much for inviting me to drop by the blog! I enjoyed the visit!

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Today, I'm giving away a copy of Colleen's latest release, A Touch of Evil. Leave a post to be entered.

28 comments:

Very interesting interview. Did you go see Dark Knight, Colleen? Technically he wasn't a clown, but a joker. Was the distinction enough? I'm okay with clowns, but the elves at the mall santa places are rather frightening.

Hi Colleen,I love your work and I can't wait to read this latest release.

I'm in total agreement with you on clowns...they've always scared the bejeesus out of me *shiver running down my spine*. I'm glad that someone other than myself think that the Burger King is seriously creepy!

When I read "Beneath Bone Lake," I immediately liked Justine. Smart, funny, gutsy. If ever a character deserved to jump the turnstile and take off with her own book, it's this girl. Note to everyone who gets swept up in "Touch of Evil": travel back in time and read BBL for more Justine.

I'm staying with my daughter this week and taking care of a one year old. Let me tell you what's scary. The Big Moo Cow at Chick-fil-A.. Lily Dale wouldn't go near him and when I went near him, she freaked out.

Great interview! It amazes me you write about such scary things and are afraid of clowns of all things! Clowns are funny not scary! Myself I don't like snakes, spiders or heights, other then these things I am alright!

Great interview!! Congrats on your new release, it really looks like another fantastic read. Clowns do not bother me, but I agree about the Burger King man, he really looks creepy and sinister!! I haven't figured out why he is so popular.

Love the interview, Colleen.Pennywise the clown in IT creeped me out too. It a dark scardy cat even though I work night shift. The blurb really drew me in. I LOVED Beneith Bone Lake & can't wait to read this book too. Mindy :) Birdsooong@aol.com

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments! I've had a bit of a family emergency crop up today and have been tied up, but I really appreciate the kind words. So glad to hear that some of you have enjoyed my books or are rom. suspense fans! (Me, too... naturally!)

Shari C.,You asked about my characters' names. The truth is, it really varies. Sometimes I absolutely struggle, going through naming websites, the Houston phone book (frequent source of surnames) and flipping through magazines to piece together a character name that seems to belong to a person of the right age and background. Some combinations instinctively sound right or even help me to imagine what the person would be like. I sometimes change names several times when they don't "feel right." Other characters' names seem to pop out of the ether, and there's never any doubt as to who this person is. Occasionally, a character's name reflects his/her personality, but I try not to go overboard with this, instead preferring names that sound as if they might exist in the real world.

I do have to be careful not to repeat myself from one book to the next, especially with the first names of major characters.

Sandy,I also write about subjects which concern me, especially injustices I'd like to explore. I often take real life news events and twist them around. It's a way of really examining my own thoughts in detail - part of the reason I find contemporary suspense so fascinating. And the romance keeps it close to my heart, too.

The Crime

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